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- 2006-8-30 14:30 UT
- Duration: 1 hr
- USA Toll Free Number: 877-874-1919
- Toll Number: +1-203-320-9891
- Passcode: 185064
- Leader: Al Wootten
Topics
- Old Business The enhanced Agenda from last meeting is available. Science IPT notes from last month's telecon are in the agenda in red.
Collection of antenna pix
- New Business--Project news/updates (Wootten, Wilson, Kawabe)
- JAO Project Scientist Turno now in effect, Kawabe in place, transitioning to Wootten September 1. Project Scientist advertisement, plans. ESO has an opening for European ALMA Project Scientist.
- Current Science IPT Schedule. The graph shows the schedule at the beginning of 2006; clicking on it brings up a pdf of the current schedule. A major difference is the new dates for PSI/first fringes, now moved to March 2007.
- Directories
- Science IPT Directory All contributors to ALMA Science IPT (Sept05). It is time to update this; please send AW any changes. * Please update your information for the new edition.
- ALMA Directory ALMA Directory v3.0
Science IPT Group Activity Reports
Please include your Group Activity Report here (How to Enter Your Report), or email it to AlWootten
Project Scientists
- Science IPT -
- Commissioning and Science Verification
- CRE on Subreflector tilt: Passed by CCB, on to Board.
- CRE on scattering cone: One-piece subreflector CRE revised with new definition of scattering cone profile and edge taper of 1.5 millimeter. New drawing was issued to Vertex and their cost impact to our change request was officially accepted by NRAO and VRSI accepted changes in revised drawing. AEM has indicated that there will be a price tag to this, and that a formal CRE will have to be submitted in due time.
- Outer edge of the subreflector. In process, further study by Hills and student.
- Specifications for the quarter wave plate have been by C. Brogan.
- Registration is CLOSED for Science with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) II November 13-17; Madrid, Spain. An additional day has been added to the schedule; 300 persons have indicated a desire to register but only ~250 can be accommodated. Science program now due 7 Sept, payment deadline 15 Sept. Note that the hotel blocks are only held through 1 Sept!
- Submillimeter Frequency Protection.
- Astronomer Outreach: NRAO Newsletter ESO Newsletter NAOJNews. NRAO ALMA Calendar
- ARCs.
- Group Activities (all)
- Next meeting is on Sept 20th (14:30 UT) to avoid conflict with the IAU.
Emerson/Laing/Vila-Vilaro -- Instrument Scientists
- PSI at the AOC:
- A meeting on WVRs in October was announced. We are considering a science ipt face-to-face meeting in Garching at this time.
Conway, Holdaway -- Configuration Group
- The Technical specifications and SOW for the IFB for the AOS Road network design have been contracted. A contractor will be on the site 7 August to begin design. A design for road and fiber network at the high site is expected in September. Design of the extended array should occur during October-November.
- New Configuration submitted for approval Wootten presented to ASAC, Board. Still before CCB.
- Proposed ACA Configuration for comment.
- ArrayCenter shows photos of the region of the center of the Array, taken this week.
- Calibration Plan: Current version of the calibration plan and associated documents ("examples", "roadmaps", "matrices", etc.) posted. Comments welcome.
- Calibration Examples: The "meat" of the Calibration Plan. Review of these documents nearly complete.
- Ancillary Calibration Devices: Documents which describe the weather station and temperature profile technical specifications have been developed. Will use these documents as part of the RFQ process for these devices. NOTE: I need suggested vendors for the temperature profiler.
Robert Lucas -- SSR
Michiel Hogerheijde -- DRSP
- The update of the DRSP is now under way. The deadline for submission of projects has shifted to October 1, which seems a more realistic time line. The on-line ALMA sensitivity calculator is being upgraded to allow 25-percentile best weather conditions around 183 and 372 GHz; for the time being tabulated rms values are provided for these frequencies on the DRSP web site. I will start to contact people soon to act as reviewers for the new submissions. So far only a few projects have been updated, but I know that several sub-themes are working on new projects.
- Coordinators for the various science sub-themes have been identied and are listed on the DRSP web site. Their task is to (1) review the DRSP 1.0 projects in their area for updates, and (2) suggest new projects in your area. Both items should take into account the evolving science questions and the increased capabilities of ALMA. Almost all topics have coordinators assigned now. The entire list of DRSP authors has also been contacted solliciting project updates directly.
- The current time line is
- 1 July 2006 : Announcement of DRSP 2.0
- 1 October 2006: DRSP projects due
- 1 November 2006: Due date review of the the projects by members of JSAC, ESAC, ASAC, and ANASAC (tbc)
- 15 November 2006: Reply by DRSP authors to reviews due
- 15 December 2006: Final DRSP 2.0 on the web, and summarized in a report to ASAC
- Update of Commissioning and science verification plan due 15 August.
Mark Holdaway/Steve Myers, Reid -- Imaging
The CR4 hygrometer arrived about 2 weeks ago in Tucson, Angel checked its status. He found the pumps used to pump
the outside air into the chilled mirror chamber were faulty, the coating of the chilled mirror was somehow damaged affecting its reflectance and consequently the determination of the absolute humidity in the sample parcel of air. After this evaluation was done he sent the instrument to John Buetow at Buck Research incorporated to give it maintenance and for recalibration. The instrument was delivered to the manufacturer. Angel is now waiting for his own evaluation of the status of the instrument and the estimated price to bring the instrument on shape and well calibrated.
This device will be deployed to the OSF in late Fall.
Science Corner:
Calendar
Official JAO Calendar New!!
ALMA Events of Interest
(see also Al's
ALMA Biweekly Calendar)
2006 |
|
|
|
|
|
Day |
Date |
Time |
Event |
location |
details |
We |
Jun 28 |
1430UT |
ALMA Sci IPT Telecon |
Telecon |
|
Fri-Sun |
Sep 20-22 |
All Day |
Pre-Production Design Review for the Vertex ALMA Antenna |
Duisberg, Germany |
Thurs-Fri |
9-10 November 2006 |
all day |
ALMA Board Meeting |
Madrid |
TBD |
Upcoming Meetings
IAU XXVI General Assembly Prague, 14-25 August 2006
*Sessions of Particular ALMA
Interest*
A Summer School on "(Sub)Millimetre Observing Techniques" Victoria, BC, Canada 14-17 August 2006
Fifth IRAM Millimeter Interferometry School October 2-6, 2006 Grenoble, France
Science with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) II November 13-16; Madrid, Spain
Astrophysical Masers and their Environments 2007 March 12-16, Alice Springs, Australia
50th anniversary of the founding of NRAO
Delayed NRAO wishes to remain 49 a bit longer...; Charlottesville, Virginia
See also
NAASC listing
--
AlWootten - 29 Aug 2006